Newly-Published Account Concludes Colonel William Shepard Was Wounded During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776

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There is a fascinating new book about General William Shepard who, as a Colonel, led one of the regiments that fought under John Glover during the Battle of Pelham on October 18 1776.  It is small tome about Shepard, but I recommend it for those who would like to learn more about this fascinating American Patriot.  The book, by John D. Leary, Jr., is entitled "General William Shepard:  An American Patriot."  It is available from Amazon in hardcover, paperback and digital formats.  Here is a link to the hardcover edition.

As part of my efforts to collect research regarding the Battle of Pelham for those who study and analyze that battle, today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog quotes a portion of Mr. Leary's fascinating book, with a focus on the wound that Colonel William Shepard received in his throat during the Battle of Pelham. 

1776 Charles Blaskowitz Map Depicting Events Leading Up to

the Battle of White Plains Including the Battle of Pelham: 

Library of Congress American Memory Collection, Digital Image of

Blaskowitz, Charles, A Survey of Frog's Neck and theRout[e] of the

British Army to the 24th of October 1776, Under the Command

of His Excellency the Honorable William Howe,General and

Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Forces, &ca, &ca, &ca. (1776).



"When about 4000 British and Hessian troops under Gen. Henry Clinton and Lord Charles Cornwallis landed and attempted to march inland at Pell's Point, they encountered Col. John Glover's brigade which included Col. William [Page 7 / Page 8] Shepard's regiment.  Glover's brigade, reduced in numbers to 750 men by illness and battle fatigue, organized into four distinct lines.  Each line held a very strong defensive position.

The British were forced to move over a narrow road that went through small fields lined with stone walls.  As the British advanced, they encountered the first American line commanded by Col. Joseph Read.

When the British were within about 50 yards, Read's troops fired multiple rounds at the advancing troops.  The British were forced to fall back and regroup.  Now with a larger force, the British again attacked and again were greeted with heavy gunfire.  After a short time Read's men fell back behind Shepards' line -- the second defensive line.  The British thinking this an American retreat charged the fleeing troops.

From behind a stone wall, Col. Shepard's regiment rose up and fired at the advancing British.  A fierce engagement occurred which last for about one hour.  During this time, the fiercest fighting of the day took place and the British advance was stopped several times.

Col. Glover, observing the encounter, realized that the British artillery were becoming more effective, and that an increasing number of British troops were engaging Shepard's position.  Glover ordered Shepard to fall back, [Page 8 / Page 9] and for Col. Loammi Baldwin's regiment to give cover fire which Shepard's troops rejoined the rest of the brigade.  Glover's brigade then made an orderly retreat from Pell's Point. . . . .

Col. Glover's brigade gave Washington the time to extricate his troops to Wite Plains, New York, and prevented the British from encircling them and closing off any escape. 

The American brigade had eight men killed and thirteen wounded.  One of the wounded was Col. William Shepard.  According to John Lockwood, 'While the surgeon was examining the serious wound in his neck the doughty patriot called for his canteen and finding that a long drought of rum flowed freely down his throat he said, 'It is all right, doctor, stick on a plaster.  I am going out again'.  And tying on his cravat, he returned to the firing line. . . . .'

Some historians wrote Col. Shepard received his neck wound during the Battle of Long Island.  To be more specific, the neck wound occurred during Battle of Pell's Point.  The Rev. Isacc Knapp in the sermon at the funeral of William Shepard said the injury occurred at Pell's Point. . .

After a few weeks of convalescence, Shepard was able to take command of his regiment, and rejoin Washington in the hills of White Plains, NY."

Leary, Jr., John D., General William Shepard:  An American Patriot, pp. 7-9 (Bloomington, IN:  AuthorHouse LLC, 2014) (footnotes omitted). 

* * * * *

I have written extensively about the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776. See, for example, the following 31 articles:

Thu., Jun. 19, 2014:  Account of the Revolutionary War Battle of Westchester Creek, Leading Up to the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776. 

Bell, Blake A., The Battle of Pelham: October 18, 1776, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 41, Oct. 15, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Mon., May 19, 2014: Biography of British Officer Who Fought in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Bell, Blake, History of the Village of Pelham: Revolutionary War, HistoricPelham.com Archive (visited May 9, 2014).

Mon., Feb. 28, 2005: Glover's Rock on Orchard Beach Road Does Not Mark the Site of the Battle of Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 18, 2005: Restored Battle of Pelham Memorial Plaque Is Unveiled at Glover Field.

Fri., May 27, 2005: 1776, A New Book By Pulitzer Prize Winner David McCullough, Touches on the Battle of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 14, 2005: Pelham's 1926 Pageant Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Oct. 26, 2005: Remnants of the Battlefield on Which the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.

Fri., May 19, 2006: Possible Remains of a Soldier Killed in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Found in 1921.

Fri., Aug. 11, 2006: Article by William Abbatt on the Battle of Pelham Published in 1910.

Thu., Sep. 21, 2006: A Paper Addressing the Battle of Pelham, Among Other Things, Presented in 1903.

Mon., Oct. 30, 2006: Brief Biographical Data About Sir Thomas Musgrave, British Lieutenant Colonel Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Nov. 1, 2006: Two British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Jan. 16, 2007: Brief Biography of British Officer Who Served During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Feb. 09, 2007: Extract of October 23, 1776 Letter Describing British Troops in Eastchester After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Feb. 12, 2007: Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Opens New Exhibition: "Overlooked Hero: John Glover and the American Revolution."

Thu., Jan. 18, 2007: Three More British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jul. 16, 2007: Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Revolutionary War Diary of David How.

Tue., Jul. 17, 2007: Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Writings of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Aide-de-Camp to British General Clinton.

Wed., Jul. 18, 2007: Another British Military Unit History that Notes Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Aug. 7, 2007: An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Contained in the McDonald Papers Published in 1926.

Wed., Aug. 8, 2007: A Description of an Eyewitness Account of the Interior of St. Paul's Church in Eastchester During the Revolutionary War.

Thu., Sep. 6, 2007: Information About St. Paul's Church, the Battle of Pelham and Other Revolutionary War Events Near Pelham Contained in an Account Published in 1940.

Mon., Oct. 8, 2007: American Troops Who Guarded Pelham's Shores in October 1776.

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007: Images of The Lord Howe Chestnut that Once Stood in the Manor of Pelham.

Fri., Oct. 27, 2006: Orders Issued by British Major General The Honourable William Howe While Encamped in Pelham After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Thu., Jan. 22, 2009: Another Brief Biography of Sir Thomas Musgrave, a British Officer Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18 1776.

Wed., Feb. 17, 2010: British Report on Killed, Wounded and Missing Soldiers During the Period the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Apr. 23, 2010: Charles Blaskowitz, Surveyor Who Created Important Map Reflecting the Battle of Pelham.

Thu., Feb. 06, 2014: A Description of the Revolutionary War Battle of Pelham Published in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."